GAA Eile is a four part series, filmed over the summer championships of 2018 that takes a fresh look at the GAA and examines the worth and value of our national games. All-‐Ireland winning captain Dara Ó Cinnéide asks the question, if there is an increasing commercial value to the games, how does this affect the intrinsic and traditional values of the GAA?
In Episode 1 we follow former Kerry footballer Dara Ó Cinnéide as he travels the length and breadth of Ireland during the All-‐Ireland Football Championship campaign. Dara’s journey begins in New York and finishes up in Croke Park at the All-‐Ireland football final. We look at the impact the GAA has on the Irish community abroad, we follow the Carlow footballers on their summer of dreams and also discuss why Dublin has been so successful in recent times.
In Episode 2, All-‐Ireland winning Kerry captain Dara Ó Cinnéide looks at the game of hurling and why our national sport is so attractive to commercial partners. He looks at how the role of sponsorship has changed over the past number of decades and speaks to sponsors about why they want to get involved with the GAA. Dara also asks the question how does the new championship format affect the players and if there is a contradiction between corporate investment and the age old traditions of the GAA of volunteerism and amateur status?
In Episode 3, All-‐Ireland winning captain Dara Ó Cinnéide speaks to players and management involved with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and the Camógie Association in Cork, Donegal, Galway and Mayo. Despite putting in the same amount of work and commitment as their male counterparts, they do not get the same amount of recognition. Dara looks at the changes that have taken place in the sport over the past number of years and asks should the LGFA and Camóige Association be under the same umbrella of the GAA as the men’s games? Dara looks back on what happened to Mayo Ladies football during the summer and finds out what players and commentators want to see happening in the future.
In Episode 4, former All-‐Ireland winning captain Dara Ó Cinnéide asks the question who owns the GAA and what role do the clubs play in the organization. Is there a two-‐tiered system where club players are under valued compared to their county counterparts? Dara travels to Belfast to look at Gaelfast, a new initiative tasked with reviving GAA in county Antrim and asks what we can learn from the GAA abroad in publicising our games while also remaining connected to our indigenous games at grassroots.